What We Gain
by RenaRocks
Summary: Loki has served his time in Asgard's dungeons. Now he is being exiled to Alfheim for a thousand years and is only to return as a changed man. Things go terribly wrong when Loki manages to land himself on Midgard, alone and with no idea on where to go. When he runs into one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, are things taking a turn for the worse or better? (Rated M to be safe)
1. Introduction - Goodbye Asgard

**A/N: I'm going to need cooperation on this. I have never written an Avenger's fan fiction and I haven't read any of comics. I've only seen the movies, so don't expect anything to be correct. I will probably make a few mistakes here and there in the story. If I do, please politely correct me and I'll try and learn from it. Anyways, thank you for taking your chance with reading this. I would love to hear back so I can decide whether or not to continue with this fan fiction.**

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**Introduction**

Loki walked down the halls of the Asgardian Palace that he had once dared to call home. It had been years since the attack that he had orchestrated upon New York. In the time between his run of destruction and the present, he had spent his time in the dungeons of Asgard paying for his crimes.

Odin's punishment had been swift and had done its job. Loki was a shell of the man he once used to be, or that's at least what he had convinced the masses of. To a lot of people, his eyes seemed dull and lacking the life they once seemed to overflow with.

As Loki entered Asgard's Hall, where his punishment would be dealt out, the crowds went from insanely loud to deathly quiet. The closer he got to Odin, the more Loki thought that his ruse would be found out. Loki was a master at lying, but even he was unsure that this lie would play out as he planned.

"Loki Odinson," Odin's voice boomed. Loki wanted to growl at Odin and curse his once father for the use of that name, but managed to restrain himself. If he made the wrong move now, everything was for naught. Loki simply looked Odin in the eyes with his dead, mirthless gaze. Odin almost faltered his words in shock, but managed to successfully say, "You stand here today after serving the first half of your punishment. Today is the day that you face the second half of your punishments."

Loki continued to stare at Odin. When Odin's eyes shined with slight confusion, Loki realized that his ploy was working. If he kept it up, he might manage to get off with only a minor punishment. If he's lucky, he figured that he would be able to escape without being exiled.

"I have decided upon your final punishment. For your crimes against Asgard and Midgard, you are to be banished to Alfheim. Only after a thousand years may you dream of returning to Asgard and only as a changed man." Odin clanged his staff against the ground. "Do you have anything to say?"

Loki tilted his head to the side in a curious manner. His eyes wander to his mother, Frigga. She was the only one in this room that he truly cared about. "Mother," was all Loki said and his message was successfully conveyed. Frigga understood right away what Loki wanted to tell her and it came to her clear as day.

When Odin sensed that Loki wasn't going to continue to talk, he said, "Thor, you are to escort your brother to the rebuilt bifrost and send him out into Alfheim." Thor hardened his face and accepted the Allfather's words. "Loki, you are now banished to Alfheim and stripped of most of your magic."

When runes appeared on Loki's arms, he tried not to freak out. He had suspected that Odin would take away his magic, but he had not been able to prepare himself for it. Magic was part of Loki and it pained him to lose most of it.

"Your magic shall be restored to you when it is shown that you can be trusted with its power," Odin declared. "I hope that you can manage to find redemption. Thor, take him away."

Thor gritted his teeth and stepped forward to take the chains from the guards that led Loki from the dungeons. He pulled Loki out of Asgard's Hall and started to lead him on their long walk to the rainbow bridge.

"Brother," Thor addressed Loki as soon as they were out of earshot from anyone that might listen in. "I know that you're still in there." Loki refused to reply. He was almost free, he couldn't mess it up now. "You may not want to talk to me now but know that you're still my brother in my eyes. Nothing can keep me from thinking otherwise."

Loki gritted his teeth. Everything he had done had been for his brother. The stop to Thor's coronation had only been to benefit Thor. Loki was the only one that seemed to realize that his older brother was not suited to take his position so soon.

Thor didn't know what else to say so they continued in silence until they reached Heimdall's observatory. The said man stared out upon the galaxy in contemplation.

"Finally you arrive," Heimdall said as he continued to stare straight ahead.

"Yes, our walk here has been long," Thor said.

"Your walk from here will only be longer," Heimdall replied as he finally turned to face them. His eyes landed upon Loki and narrowed considerably. "I shall now open the bifrost." Heimdall placed his sword in the bifrost and started up the process.

As soon as it was ready, Thor pulled Loki up to the gateway and removed the chains that held Loki. "Brother, if father permits it, I will visit soon," he told his brother.

"You don't need to visit me," Loki replied. For the first time in years, Loki truly smiled. "For you won't know where to find me."

Before Thor could respond, Loki pushed himself out of the observatory. Using what magic he could, he changed the course of the rainbow bridge. He didn't know where it would take him now, but he they wouldn't be able to find him for at least a little while. While they are searching, he would be able to put a spell on himself that would prevent Heimdall from seeing him.

"Brother!" Thor yelled and jumped in the bifrost after him, but without magic to help him veer off course, Thor ended up on Alfheim.

Back in the observatory, Heimdall yelled for Odin; that it was an emergency. Loki, had escaped.


	2. Chapter 1 - Where We Stand

**A/N: I officially hate myself. I personally don't like this chapter, but I think it's probably the best I could do. Ugh, Avengers has officially become the hardest fandom to write for, but that hasn't deetered my determination to see this project through. Review are welcome.**

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Chapter 1 – Where We Stand

Loki landed on the ground in a less than eloquent way. He came crashing down and landed on his back. He hit his head on the pavement so hard that he actually saw stars. A human would have probably died on impact. This was one time that he truly appreciated being a God. He was grateful that he hadn't lost his Godhood during his punishment.

After a few minutes of lying there, Loki rolled over with a groan. He looked around and discovered that he was lying in an alley in a large city. Slowly, he stood up and looked around. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized exactly where he was, New York.

If anyone saw him, he would be instantly recognized, and if he were recognized, he would be fucked. He was sure that anyone that saw him would want to kill him. Last time he was in New York, he didn't exactly made peace with anyone. In fact, he did quite the opposite.

Voices boomed from the street and Loki ducked behind a trash can. '_How long had it been since my initial attack on New York?_' he asked himself. If he remembered right, he was in Asgard's dungeons for approximately five Midgardian years. '_That should have been enough time._' Loki figured that maybe he'd be able to walk down the street without getting recognized. Human's memories weren't _that _good. He didn't even have to worry about his clothes. The prison clothes that he'd been given were just a normal looking pair of pants and a simple brown shirt. It looked normal by Midgardian standards.

'_Should I risk just stepping out onto the street?_' Loki glanced at the street and gritted his teeth. '_I have to move._'

Loki stood up and moved towards the entrance to the alley. He reached the end and looked up and down the streets with uncertainty. These particular streets were almost empty so he strolled right out into the streets without worry. Hopefully no one saw him leave the alley.

When Loki reached the end of the block, he tried to decide what to do. He never actually gave any real thought to what he would do once he was free from Asgard's gaze. Loki figured that he needed to get some place safe to cast a spell that would veil him from Heimdall's gaze.

Loki walked down the street until he found a rundown part of the city. There were sure to be hoodlums he supposed, but he could take care of himself. Loki found an abandoned building, a factory he determined and snuck his way inside the building. The place was spacious but rundown. It would work perfectly until he could find a more permanent place to stay.

Loki made his way up a stair case and found an office area that he supposed was for the boss of this place. There were a couple of chairs and a desk. It wasn't the best setting, but it would have to do. Loki may seem one to like the finer things, but when it came to surviving, he was ready to do whatever was necessary to ensure that he would lived to see another day. He didn't care what that included as long as his pride wasn't on the line for it.

Loki moved one of the chairs to the middle of the room and dusted it off before sitting on it. Since most of his magic was bound, he would have to spend days casting the spell. It would go into effect right away and shield him, but he would have to finish it to make it permanent. Right now he was glad that he was a master of magic and had learned the ways around Heimdall's gaze. When he learned the spell, he never thought that he would actually have to use it.

Loki sighed and began to work.

Days had passed and Loki sat in the chair of the foreman's office. The spell had been successfully cast a day ago, but Loki hadn't been able to move. It had truly taken more out of him than he expected. With this little test, he was able to determine that he was able to use about one tenth of his magic, which was still a lot by all means.

Loki just had to figure out how he would use what magic he had to benefit him and use it to survive. He figured he could use it to conjure money and make an easy life for himself, but Loki wanted to do something more with himself this time around. Loki was still the mischievous person he always was, so he wanted to do something truly fun.

When Loki thought about what would be fun, his thoughts instantly went to the Avengers. What could he do with the Avengers though? When he was in New York last time, he just caused chaos for them. This time he wanted to take a different approach. Sure it was risky messing with the Avengers, but he supposed that's what will make it fun. Plus, it's only risky if he gets caught.

Loki smiled as a plan formed in his mind. It is perfect. The only thing that he would need to do before carrying out his plot would be finding a place to live and work. Loki was going to do this right. For his plan to work, he needed to look like a good little citizen. It wouldn't be hard he figured. He would have to change his appearance though, which greatly displeased him. He liked how he looked.

Loki ran a hang through his hair and it slowly changed from his long, gorgeous black to shaggy blond. He ran a hand over his face and his features changed slowly. Loki supposed he should change his eye colour, but he didn't. There were some things he couldn't do.

Loki smiled manically to himself. Everything he just did, he absolutely hated. It was so unlike him to do something he hated. Oh yes, it would truly surprise Thor and the rest of the Avengers when he managed his way into their circle. Yes, he hated changing his appearance, but the pay off would be so damned good.

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**A/N: Yeah, so I personally think that this is so unLoki like. His plan will be explained in the next chapter the way I have it planned. Again, review are welcome. Please point out anything that you feel needs improvement and if you have any ideas or tips I'm open to hearing them. ^.^ Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 2 - Unexpected Results

Chapter 2 – Unexpected Results

Loki waited until he had regained all of his magic before he dared to venture out of his factory. (Yes, it was his now. He officially claimed it as his dwelling.) Before leaving, he used magic to clean up his looks. He looked as if he had just showered and was freshly groomed. His clothes were crisp, as if they were freshly washed. To almost everyone on the street, he looked perfect and handsome.

Loki left the factory and walked out into the bright sunlight. He squinted at the sun. He loved the fact that he could feel the warm sunlight beating down on and warming his skin. With a sigh, Loki started down the street with no particular destination in mind.

On the way to wherever he was going, he worried over what his next moves were going to be. Loki didn't really know how he was going to get a job, but he reasoned that he is Loki. If he didn't know what to do, he would certainly figure it out.

Loki continued to stroll down the street until he reached a more cozy part of New York. There weren't any rundown buildings like the ones that surrounded his factory. No, all the buildings looked new and sleek. They were sickening to Loki. He hated their artificialness, but this was just the part of town that he was looking for.

They were all businesses, which he needed to get hired at. As he continued his walk, Loki passed a couple cafés and apartment buildings. None of them sparked his interest beyond a bored glance up at their roof or at their patrons that sat in the windows. Hell, some of the apartments were no pets allow. If he was scouting possible places to live, he was damned sure that he was going to have a pet.

At the end of another block, Loki came upon something that truly interested him. A couple stories up, on the side of a building, a crew of workers were lifting a sign up while a crowd looked upon the spectacle. It amused Loki highly.

'They have to do such a simple task by hand. Humans truly are pitiful creatures,' he thought with a smirk. 'They're adorable in how simple they are.'

Loki watched as a group of kids walked towards the department store. Their mothers were too entranced by the sign to bother looking after them.

Just as the kids got close to the sign, one of the workers lost control of their task. The crowd started to scream in horror as the sign started to come down in such a way that it would crush all of the children.

Without thinking, Loki ran at godly speeds and placed himself next to the kids. Using magic, even when he shouldn't, Loki stopped the sign's decent and made it look like he caught his with just his bare hands, which would be amazing if it were true. To any Midgardian, it looked amazing and he seemed like a god, which he was.

'This is going to attract attention,' Loki thought to himself with a devious smirk. 'Well, this is what I wanted.'

"Run," he said to the shocked kids through gritted teeth. His magic couldn't hold out forever. As it was, his magic levels were low. If he used too much, he'd be out of magic… again.

The kids scrambled out from under the sign and Loki cursed up a storm under his breath. It was way more exhausting than he would have liked. Loki figured that he should probably set the sign down now that everyone was out of the way. Slowly, with the help of magic, Loki lowered the sign safely to the ground, minimizing that damage done to it. He had played the hero, perfect.

A crowd of women swarmed Loki all at once and he didn't know what to do. Sure he had tons of women surrounding him back in Asgard, but that was different. Most of them were only trying to get close to him because of his status and he knew how to deal with them. These were mothers with children and they were showering him with praises; completely different.

"Thank you so much for saving my little Eric," one woman said as tears streamed out of her eyes and she clung heavily to one of the children that he had saved.

"You didn't save any of my children, but I wanted to thank you regardless," a young woman said and shook Loki's hand. She batted her eyelashes at him in an attempt to catch his attention, but he didn't respond to her advance. He wasn't interested in any Midgardian women.

Loki smiled at the women and said, "It was no problem." The women, in shock, swooned over his voice. It was rich and smooth with an accent that would drove them nuts with joy.

Once all of the women dissipated, Loki moved to leave the immediate area. Saving the kids had accomplished only one part of his goal. He still had to get a job to reach the other half of his goal.

"Excuse me, sir," a strong, masculine voice said to Loki and he about jumped out of his skin. He was starting to slip. His guard had been down. That was dangerous.

The blood in Loki's veins grew cold but seemed to pump faster. He turned to the man and smiled convincingly. "Yes?" he said in the accented voice that he had used on the women to make them favor him more.

"I want to say thank you for what you did back there," said the man and Loki continued smiling.

'The super soldier,' Loki said to himself. 'The first Avenger. What are the odds that I run into you here?'

"That was nothing," Loki said and pretended to be embarrassed.

"No, it wasn't," Steve said. "You saved all of those children before I even had time to react and I like to think that I react really fast, so I find your speed amazing." So he had reacted faster than their Captain. Interesting.

"I just reacted," Loki admitted. "There was nothing else to it."

"You don't have to be so humble," Steve said as he patted Loki on the back. "I want to thank you for saving those children. How would you like to join me for lunch?"

Loki smiled softly at the soldier. "That would be lovely," he said.

"Alright," Steve said with a grin. "Just a warning, I forgot my wallet at home, so we're going to head over to my place and we'll get something delivered."

'Oh, great,' Loki thought to himself with smile. 'I'm going into the den of the lions.'

It was a long walk back to the Super Soldier's 'house', but Loki didn't really mind. He was getting everything he wanted in only one day. In only a few hours Loki had managed to get himself on video saving kids (which was sure to get on the internet and make him famous) and he had managed to meet one of the Avengers and gain some trust with them. It was perfect.

As they approached a huge building, Loki swallowed. 'Stark Tower,' he said to himself. 'Now, why would the Super Soldier be living here? Are all of the Avengers living here; if so, this could make my job immensely easier.'

"Sorry about the long walk," Steve said as they entered the building. "I used to live closer, but I recently moved for convenience."

"This is Stark Tower," Loki said with a raised eyebrow. "You're not Tony Stark, so why are you living here?" It was a straightforward question, but Loki was burning with curiosity.

"Well, it's a long story," Steve replied. "All of us Avengers live at this tower. Wait; do you even know who I am?" It wasn't like Steve to just assume people knew he was, but recently be had begun to. He got recognized everywhere.

"You're Captain America," Loki replied. "Doesn't everyone know who you are?"

"I wouldn't say everyone, but probably the majority of New Yorkers do," Steve said as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Hey, I didn't catch your name. What was it?"

Loki bit his tongue and quickly responded, "Ethan. My name is Ethan Hall." Loki extended his hand and Steve shook it.

"Nice name," Steve said. "It'll be easy to remember, but after today, I don't think it would be easy to forget your name; you kind of stick out."

"I do?" Loki asked with faked confusion.

"Just a little," Steve replied. "I just hope that Stark isn't in the shared living area."

Loki raised an eyebrow at this. He thought that the teammates would always be around each other. "Why?" he asked with rising curiosity.

"Well, you're kind of his type," Steve said with a completely red face. Still the innocent Super Soldier he was when they unfroze him. "Okay, that sounds bad, but depending on how drunk he is, things could go terribly wrong."

Loki nodded like he understood. "I think I'll be able to handle anything he throws at me," Loki replies mischeviously. He's wormed his way into Avengers HQ. As long as he can fool Tony Stark, he should be in the clear.

Loki regarded Stark as the smartest and most interesting of their little group. Getting past him would certainly prove entertaining. This theory was proven right as the elevator doors slid open and Loki and Rodgers stepped out onto the shared living area in Stark Tower.


	4. Chapter 3 - A Turn of Events

**Chapter 3 – A Turn of Events**

The door of the elevator slid open and Loki and Captain America stepped into the shared living area of the Avengers. Much to Loki's surprise, the room was almost spotless. He had imagined that if all of the super heroes were living together they would have surely caused a huge mess. Maybe they were more civilized than he thought.

Sitting on a couch in the middle of the room was Hawkeye, Blackwidow, and the Hulk. Loki smiled nervously at them. This smile was a little less faked, because he was actually scared of the Hulk. He didn't really want to end up embedded in the floor again. When he actually thought about it, he wouldn't be surprised if Stark had left the indent in his floor as a reminder.

They all raised an eyebrow at the newcomer and their friend.

Hawkeye smirked to himself and decided that he was going to try and be the funny guy in the conversation. He looked back and forth between Loki and Steve before he said, "Steve found his long lost brother."

Loki cocked his head to side slightly. '_Does this form resemble the Captain? I suppose it does slightly, but I don't think that could make it seem like there's any relation between us._' Loki didn't necessarily like the idea that he looked like the super soldier. No offense to Steve, but he wasn't really Loki's ideal thoughts of attractive.

Steve looked over at Loki curiously and studied him for a moment. "I don't think so," Steve said finally. "He could be a cousin of mine or a long off descendent, but not a brother. We don't look that much alike."

"You know Cap, your cousin is a lot better looking than you," someone said and they all whipped their heads around to look at Tony who had just entered the scene. "Based on that fact alone, I'm going to have to say that you two are not related. We could of course test it if your pride is hurt that much by my words." Tony smiled at the lot and sipped his scotch.

"Your hopes have just been crushed," Loki whispered to Steve who laughed in response. "Don't worry. I'll let you call me cousin if you wish." Steve shook his head at Loki.

"Anyways," Tony said. "Why have you decided to bring a stranger into my tower that could possibly be a threat? Not saying that we would lose considering that we're all here, but still, we should have some precautionary measures."

"One floor of this tower is mine," Steve said in a childish tone. Tony had given him one floor of the tower. It was legalize and everything so he couldn't really complain when Steve did what he wanted with it and the shared living area was for anyone to use. "I was just going to treat my friend here to lunch but I forgot my wallet. We can leave if our presence offends you, your royalness."

"You're yelling at Steve for bringing one person over when you bring a handful of women back every night?" Loki asked Tony in an annoyed tone. Loki had managed to catch a glimpse of a newspaper while he was strolling around earlier. The headline had been about Stark and his wonderful affairs with women and how his lady Pepper had left him in the dust.

Loki figured he probably shouldn't have snapped at Tony in such a way, but Loki was grumpy from hunger. He supposed that if his plan was to work the last thing he needed was to get on Stark's bad side. He also did figure that this task could be impossible considering their 'history'.

Natasha and Bruce hid their smiles at Loki's words and Clint threw his head back and howled with laughter. Steve turned his head away slightly and tried his hardest not to laugh. '_I guess I said what was all on their minds._'

Tony on the other hand, raised an eyebrow. When Stark looked Loki in the eyes, the hardened look in the Man of Iron's gaze was clearly saying, 'Challenge accepted.'

"Cap's new boyfriend is feisty. I really didn't think that was your type, although I guess you never know what to expect from a man in spandex," Tony said and poured himself more alcohol.

Loki turned to Steve and said, "I didn't know we were dating. I think that I should have been informed of this. I think we have gone a little too fast in our relationship." Tony smiled slightly and the rest of the Avengers barely held their laughter back. Being right in their den was proving to be more and more entertaining. "I'm sorry Steve, but I think we're going to have to break up. I hope that you understand." Steve rolled his eyes at Loki.

"I'm strangely alright with that," he replied.

Tony walked over and clasped his hands on their shoulders. "And here I thought you two would make a cute couple, but all good things have to end. Since we're all here and hungry, I'll buy the food and have it here in about half an hour. Is pizza alright with everyone?"

"Throw some Chinese on too," Banner said.

"Alright," Tony said. "Jarvis, I want you to order the usual from that one place downtown that I can't bother to remember the name of and the usual from that one Chinese place. Oh, would Captain's new friend like anything special ordered?"

Loki thought a moment before answering, "Sushi." He'd always wanted to try it while he was on Earth but had never gotten the chance. As long as Tony was offering, he might as well try it.

"Jarvis add a couple orders of sushi to the list and make sure it's from a five star restaurant. We don't need to be getting sick from bad sushi."

"Everything is ordered, sir. It shall arrive within the hour," Jarvis declared.

"Thank you, Jarvis," Tony said and clapped. "So, while we wait, why don't we have the new guy introduce himself?"

"I like that idea," Natasha said. She liked having information on everyone around her. It made her feel a little more secure in the presence of strangers.

Tony took a seat in his chair and Steve and Loki sat down on the remaining couch.

"What is your name?" Tony asked curiously.

"Ethan Hall," Loki replied smoothly. The more he said the name, the more Loki begun to favor the name that he had picked out for himself.

"How old are you?" was the next question that was thrown at him.

"I am thirty-two although I'd like to believe that I don't look that old," Loki replied. He wanted to seem older to the Avengers. Age made him seem more mature.

"Trust me," Tony said, "you don't look thirty-two."

'_Oh, yes. Stark is a master at telling age,_' Loki said to himself.

"How'd you meet Steve?" Natasha said out of the blue. She wasn't going to wait for Stark to continue badgering their guest. She wanted to do it herself. It was more her style.

Loki smiled slightly. "I don't believe that I'm in any position to tell that story. I think I'd probably make myself sound more stunning than I really am."

They all raised an eyebrow and looked to Steve. He looked at them nervously before giving in and deciding to tell the story. "Well, today I was out on my morning stroll," he started.

"Wait, you only met Ethan today?" Natasha asked.

"And you brought him into our base?" Clint continued.

"I will admit that wasn't the best of me, but I can read people" Steve declared. He really liked to think that he could tell whether or not a person held any ill will towards him. "I think I would have been able to tell if Ethan was going to harm any of us."

"Innocent little Steve knows who the baddies are," Tony said sarcastically. "Don't look mad. You're the one that said you could read people. I'm just here to make the jokes because Clint sure as hell can't handle the job." Clint shot Tony a dirty look. "Anyways, I'm curious so just continue your story." Stark stuck his tongue out childishly at Clint.

"I was walking down the streets like I normally do when I stopped to watch a handful of workers lift a sign onto a building. The sign started to slip just as a group of kids went under it. I went to run under the sign and catch it, but before I could even react, Ethan here was already under the sign. At first I was going to push him out of the way and catch it myself, but the sign had almost come to a halt in the air. It floated down like a feather and landed in Ethan's hands. It was amazing!"

"Fascinating," Tony mumbled to himself and suddenly the scientist in him was doing calculations in his head. He was like a child that had just gotten a new toy. "I didn't realize there was anyone that could react faster than the Captain. Do you mind if I do a scan of your body?"

"Tony, that is not an acceptable thing to ask," Banner said and sighed. Usually Tony wasn't that straight forward about it. Normally when he wanted to take a peek at someone's body he would buy them a drink first.

"Well, it can't be much worse than the fact that I scan everyone as soon as they enter this building. My door sensors already deemed that he is human and has no irregularities in his system such as chemicals that could alter a person greatly," Tony concluded. "I doubt there is much I could gain by scanning him that I don't already know, but I just wanted to check to make sure and hey, at least I asked."

Loki raised an eyebrow at Stark. He should have known that he would be checked as soon as he entered the building. While Loki didn't think that Tony would state it quite so bluntly, it didn't surprise him.

"Go for it," Loki said. He knew it was risky, but he was damn curious what Stark's voice in the ceiling would tell him. He was going to have to face it sooner or later. At some point in the future Tony would probably try and scan Loki so it was best to get it out of the way. It would probably be better to face them finding out his true identity while he still had the chance to run. Loki calculated that he probably had enough magic to teleport himself ten blocks away from the tower and still have enough energy to run.

"See, he agreed," Tony said to Bruce in a smug tone. "There's no harm done as long as he accepts. Can I have you step into my lab for a moment?"

Loki rose from his place on the couch and followed Tony out of the room. Since the crowd didn't know whether to follow or stay where they were, they just sat silently and watching the pair walk away.

When they entered Stark's lab, the first thought to enter Loki's mind was messy. "How can you find stuff in here?" he asked as he surveyed the area.

"I make a map in my mind and I know where everything is because it's placed in a precise location," Stark said, but Loki didn't believe him. When he saw the look on Loki's face he said, "Fine, I have Jarvis tell me where things are because he always knows. But, my ability to find things is not what we're here to find out. Could you please step into this corner?"

Loki moved into the corner and stared at Stark with expectant eyes. "This machine won't maim me, will it?" he asked to lighten the mood.

"I haven't tested it before so I wouldn't know," Stark replied. "I'm kidding! Don't look frightened. I've tested it on myself plenty of times. If I haven't died then you will be fine."

"I'm going to trust you then," Loki said and it wasn't a complete lie. While Stark was reckless he was smarter than the rest of the Avengers. Well, he was smarter with machines and trinkets amongst other things. If Stark said it wouldn't kill him then it wouldn't. The genius wouldn't risk killing an innocent civilian in his own home. That wouldn't be good for the headlines.

"You know, I haven't heard that in a long time. It feels nice to know a complete stranger would trust me with their life," Stark said as he started the scan. "I must be a trustworthy person."

Loki rolled his eyes. "It's not that you're a trustworthy person Stark; I just trust your machines and knowledge of mechanics," Loki said and he realized too late that he sounded a little too like himself. Loki bit his tongue and internally scolded himself.

Stark looked at him curiously for a moment. There was a shimmer of surprise in his eyes. "You remind me of someone," he said quietly after a moment of silence. "I can't remember who, but there is definitely someone."

"I'm hoping that I remind you of someone intelligent and attractive then," Loki replied with a devious smile. He was trying to distract Stark from thinking too much about it.

Stark thought a moment. "I'd say the probability that you remind me of someone attractive is very high," he said with a smirk. "The odds that you also remind me of someone intelligent is low. Don't be offended by that. It's just that I don't know many people that fall under my category of intelligent."

"Don't worry, I'm not offended, but I'm just appalled by your lack of standards in choosing companions."

"The stupid ones don't get to nosey though," Stark said. "Alright, the test is done. You can step out now." Loki stepped out of the corner and stretched out his legs. "Let's see," Stark mumbled as he pulled up all of the tests and moved them around. "This is interesting."

Loki's blood stopped cold in his veins. Did the tests show something they shouldn't? He moved to look over Stark's shoulders at the screens. "What is wrong?" he asked.

"All of the scans came back inconclusive," Stark mumbled and flipped through them frantically. "Apparently there was some sort of energy interference."

"Oh, would magic do that?" Loki asked.

Stark looked over his shoulder and kind of stared at him for a moment. "Yes, that would throw my scanners off. I'm going to take an educated guess and say that you have magic."

"Well, I don't know that it would be called magic, but I don't know of anything else it could be called," Loki said as the gears turned in his head. He was thinking of a story that would make it seem less suspicious that he had magic.

"How did you come across these powers?" Stark asked as he took a seat on a random junk pile.

"I've had them since birth," he replied, which wasn't a lie.

"Did your parents have magic?" Stark asked.

"I didn't know my parents," Loki replied. "I was an orphan."

"Oh," Stark replied suddenly feeling like a jackass.

"Don't feel bad for asking," Loki said. "I've grown to accept the fact that I don't or never will know my real parents." Stark didn't know what to say to that so he just bit his tongue to keep silent. "Don't look so gloomy," Loki said and patted Stark on the back. The conversation was getting awkward very fast.

Stark rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Why don't we go back to the rest of the group? The food should be here soon." Tony wanted out of this conversation as fast as he could.

"I like that idea," Loki said. "To be honest, I'm starving. I haven't eaten in what seems like forever."

Loki hadn't actually eaten a real meal since he was last in New York. His body did need food to keep up with healing and keeping his godly powers at max, but he could survive thousands of years without food. When he was serving his term in Asgard's cells he was given only a few scraps of bread every now and then. It was enough to keep the healing processes up, but not enough to give him a lot of energy.

"Well, we should have plenty of food," Stark said in a hopeful tone. "I wouldn't be too hopeful on that though. Bruce eats at least a whole pizza by himself and a carton of Chinese food."

"I have a weird feeling that meal times here get a little… umm… What's the word?"

"Rowdy?" Tony offered.

"Ah, yes," Loki replied as they entered the living area. Everyone was staring at them when they came in and Loki said, "If you keep staring you're going to give Stark an ego boost," Loki said to break the tension in the air.

They all looked away and Natasha said, "We wouldn't want that."

"I'm taking that as a punch to the gut," Stark said and scrunched his nose.

"Pizza is here," Jarvis said. "Shall I have them sent in?"

"Ah, Ethan and Cap you want to help me carry food in?" Stark asked and they nodded. "We can't let the ladies carry anything," he said and winked at Hawkeye.

They walked to the elevator and three people stepped out carrying food. Loki took the Chinese; Stark took the sushi; and Steve grabbed the pizzas since he was the tallest. Steve spread out the pizzas on the huge table and the Chinese and sushi got placed on one end of the table.

By the time everything was set out, the rest of the Avengers were gathered around and ready to get their hands on the food. Without warning Bruce grabbed an entire pizza and some Chinese food. As soon as he made this move everyone else dived in to get their share of food.

Natasha took about half a sausage pizza and some Chinese. Steve grabbed his own pizza and was content with that. Clint took the other half of Natasha's pizza and grabbed a tray of sushi.

"What type of pizza do you like, Ethan?" Stark asked.

"Pepperoni," Loki replied.

Stark grabbed a box of pepperoni pizza and smiled. "You know, I feel we could be great friends. Here, we'll split this one. You grab the sushi."

Loki grabbed the sushi and followed Stark to the couch. Stark took a seat on the couch and motioned for Loki to sit by him. Everyone stared in confusion as Stark let Hawkeye continue to sit in his chair. Clint had purposely sat down in Stark's chair so he could try and start a fight with him.

Stark took a bite of pizza and looked back at them. "If you're wondering why I haven't bitched Bird Boy out it's because I am going to sit here with our new friend instead of in my chair so he's in the clear for today."

They didn't question Tony's motives in trying to get closer to Loki and instead went back to eating.

"So," Tony started, "Ethan. Where do you work?"

"I am currently without a job," Loki replied.

"Where do you live then?" Captain asked.

"I am in between places," Loki said honestly. "I'm a drifter."

"Oh," Steve mumbled awkwardly.

"Hey, if you're looking for a job you can take my employment test," Stark said with a smirk. His employment tests were extremely hard and it took a near genius to pass one. Tony Stark was a genius himself and only hired the best.

"You smirk like you believe that I wouldn't pass it," Loki said.

"I've seen the test," Bruce said. "Unless you're specialized in the field you're testing for, you'd fail. Even if you've had the best schooling you could easily fail his test."

"The more you talk about it the more I want to take this test," Loki said as he finished off his second slice of pizza.

"I tell you what," Stark said. "I'll allow you to live here for the next week since you don't have a home. At the end of this week you can take the test. If you pass, you got yourself a job and I'll even give you a place to live in my employee apartments if you pass with a high enough score. If you fail, you can go back to whatever you've been doing."

Loki smirked at him. Stark was making it way too easy. "Will you give me unlimited access you the internet while I stay here?"

"Jarvis will be making sure you don't do anything illegal, but I'll give you a tablet to use all you want," Stark replied.

"What field will I be testing in?" Loki asked curiously.

"Whichever one you want," Tony said. "Which one will it be?"

Everyone stared at Loki expectantly. Not wanting to disappoint, Loki replied, "All of them."

"Can I supervise this test?" Bruce asked and tried to hold back his excitement/laughter.

"I want to supervise it too," Clint said. "I have no idea what anything on the test would be, but I want to watch this."

"You can all sit in if you would like and if it's alright with Ethan," Stark said.

"They can sit in," Loki decided. What could it hurt?

"Well go ahead and eat up," Tony said in a happy tone. "You're going to need all of the energy you can get if you're going to study the entire week. I have a question though. What is your level of schooling?"

Loki went through the levels of schooling that Midgardians had. He had managed to learn a little while he was on Earth last time. "I was a high school dropout," Loki informed them. He was hoping that explanation would leave less doubt.

"You know," Clint said, "I'm not a religious man, but I'll be praying for you."

"Thank you," Loki said sarcastically. "You'd be surprised how fast I can learn."

"I look forward to seeing the results," Stark said. "But let's just eat for now and forget about the test for a while."

Loki nodded and opened up his tray of sushi. It was going to be a long week.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so that chapter. Umm... I don't know how to feel about it. I don't know how it'll make you feel, but there are some twists and turns coming up! Will Loki prove himself or will he fail Stark's super hard test? Find out in the next chapter!**

**Also, if you notice that I haven't updated in a couple of weeks feel free to PM or tweet me S_K_Rena. I can sometimes fall behind on my fan fiction while working on my real fiction. Plus I recently started my first ever job so that takes all of my time from 6 am to 5 pm. Yay.**

**Anyways, how'd this chapter make you feel? Please tell me! I take all criticisms with open arms. :)**


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